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30 Apr 2013, 08:40

Hey everyone,

I'm just wondering what the normal amount of time is that most schools give a student to confirm an acceptance? I received a phone call with my first acceptance, but they have only given me 9 days to confirm and pay a nonrefundable $3500 deposit. I shouldn't feel like I'm being pressured to sign up for a gym membership when it comes to my graduate degree!

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30 Apr 2013, 10:08

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NextChapter wrote:

Hi and thank you both for the reply.

To be honest, I have been doing some research on this "up and coming" business school, and have read similar concerns from other students who have received an acceptance call/email as well as a scholarship offer, but then put under immense pressure to decide in less than 2 weeks. I am somewhat "iffy" about this school - seeing mixed reviews from current students.

I am awaiting replies from 2 other schools (which would have been my top 2) but I don't expect to hear from them 'til the middle of May, as I just recently submitted my application. I am fairly confident in my acceptance to at least one of these 2 other schools, but I don't want to turn this one down until something else comes in.

I voiced my concern about the short turnaround time for the decision when they first called me, and they made it pretty clear that it is a firm date. I will try to speak to someone else if my "rep" doesn't budge.

Thank you for the replies.....I was just trying to get an idea of what the norm is.

And yes....I am still very grateful to have received an acceptance from at least one school

Well, is having the option open to attend this school that you are iffy about worth 3500 to you?

First off, try to get an extension on time. If they dont give you one answer that question.

Personally, I wouldn't attend a school I was iffy about. Talk to some current students and alumns, either to calm your nerves, or to confirm you suspicions for sure. You have 9 days to make one of the most important decisions in your life(well, the first step), do your due dilligence

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It's not too surprising to hear of the desire of the admissions committee to want a commitment quickly at this late date. We are at May 1 now, and time is ticking away.

Part of the reason for the request for a relatively quickly commitment could be that they want to roll your spot to someone on the waiting list if you decline your spot.

The advice here about contacting the school and requesting more time is solid. Be professional, conduct yourself with tact and diplomacy in this request.

The other action you should take is contacting your other two schools and let them know you have an offer from another school with a deadline of X. Ask them if there is any way they can give you the admission decision from their school before X date so that you can consider all of your offers at the same time.

When you contact the school to which you are admitted, you can also let them know that you've asked the other schools to give you a decision more quickly.

In the end, you may have to pay the deposit in order to hold your space. However, there's quite a bit you can do to influence the actions of the respective admissions committees before you get to that point.

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Firstly, CONGRATULATIONS! That's great news - it's a relief getting that first call! The general rule of thumb is 1.5 - 2 months to confirm at most of the top programs in earlier rounds and 2 weeks to 1 month in later rounds. Therefore 9 days is a little on the short side but at this stage but it's not shocking.

An option open to you is to contact the admissions department and state you really need some more time to think about this. Be it you want to talk to people you trust or just personal reflection, that you feel you can't make a decision this quickly. Keep in mind, this only applies if they did not post publicly how long they would give you. Some schools state that directly on their website in which case they may not be lenient.

Schools can be understanding especially if they know their time frame is on the short side. However, keep in mind there are a lot of other factors. Are they coming up on a waitlist decision date? Do they have internal cut offs on when to finalize a class?

However, the basic rule of life is in play: you won't know if you don't ask. If they say no, that's then a discussion around if you are comfortable forfeiting this acceptance as you wait for others.

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30 Apr 2013, 08:56

NextChapter wrote:

Hey everyone,

I'm just wondering what the normal amount of time is that most schools give a student to confirm an acceptance? I received a phone call with my first acceptance, but they have only given me 9 days to confirm and pay a nonrefundable $3500 deposit. I shouldn't feel like I'm being pressured to sign up for a gym membership when it comes to my graduate degree!

What's everyone say on this?

It really depends on the school, and when you get accepted. When you're getting down to round 3 (or getting accepted off of the WL) schools want to make sure they'll have butts in seats for the fall.

Is there anything else that has you worried about the school outside of the deposit deadline?

edit: - also agree with the above comment, if you need more time it doesnt hurt to ask for it.

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30 Apr 2013, 09:05

Hi and thank you both for the reply.

To be honest, I have been doing some research on this "up and coming" business school, and have read similar concerns from other students who have received an acceptance call/email as well as a scholarship offer, but then put under immense pressure to decide in less than 2 weeks. I am somewhat "iffy" about this school - seeing mixed reviews from current students.

I am awaiting replies from 2 other schools (which would have been my top 2) but I don't expect to hear from them 'til the middle of May, as I just recently submitted my application. I am fairly confident in my acceptance to at least one of these 2 other schools, but I don't want to turn this one down until something else comes in.

I voiced my concern about the short turnaround time for the decision when they first called me, and they made it pretty clear that it is a firm date. I will try to speak to someone else if my "rep" doesn't budge.

Thank you for the replies.....I was just trying to get an idea of what the norm is.

And yes....I am still very grateful to have received an acceptance from at least one school

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Now, do you need any advice on how to let the other schools know you won't be coming? JK!

Best of luck to you on your MBA journey!

Wendy

HAHA! Actually, I'm thinking this is the perfect opportunity to practice some negotiating skills - in other words, use my new offer to see if I can get a reduction in tuition fees or other incentives from the first school! lol.

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02 May 2013, 07:13

Ah! Good thinking!

I have a lot of expertise in this area. In my previous position as the Director of MBA Admissions, I was on the other side of the negotiating table for all MBA scholarships. I worked with two clients last month where I coached them to negotiate their scholarship awards. One gained $25,000 to his package, and the other doubled her award from $20,000 to $40,000.